Ari
Ari is the villain in the Third Saga of the W.I.T.C.H. comic book series, and later on, part of the supporting cast in later sagas of the same comic book. Appearance Ari has blue eyes and short dark blue hair with a single braid coming from the back of his head. In the front a small section of his hair is a lighter blue than the rest. He is very tan and appears to be well-built, both are probably because of his former occupation as a farmer. Background Ari was a young farmer in the world of Arkhanta. A man of little means, he struggled to make ends meet. His wife, whom he loved dearly, Jamayeda, died giving birth to his son, Maqi, who was born mute (the inability to speak) and had a condition similar to autism which resulted poor communication skills and social awkwardness. This caused Maqi to live in his own little world as he could not express himself to others. Ari searched incessantly for a way to rid his son of his strange affliction, consulting the land's wisest physicians and scholars, but none of them could help the boy. It was rumored that anyone who captured a banshee would be granted wishes. Banshees are magical, mostly, if not entirely, female beings who are so far only known to reside on Arkhanta. They are sly and beautiful but often mischievous and deceiving. Ari caught Yua, the most powerful of the banshees, and would have her help his son. Yet for all her power, Yua was not able to cure Maqi's illness. Her magic extended only to material wishes, and life and death were powers beyond her capability. Devastated, Ari instead wished for the Scarlet Citadel, an enormous palace that would serve as their home, and sufficient wealth to satisfy any earthly desire his son could have. Lastly, he wished for the banshee's eternal servitude, and she could not refuse. With Yua's aid, Ari soon became King of Arkhanta, doing his best to improve the lot of the common man. Time and time again, Ari made pleas to the Oracle of Kandrakar. The Oracle, however, reasoned that such matters were not his concern, as they had little impact in the universe as a whole. Disgusted at this, Ari eventually made war on Kandrakar, hoping that the Oracle would reconsider the statement that his pain was of no consequence. This jeopardized the order of the entire world, and so the Guardians were assigned the task to stop Ari at any cost, as even the Oracle said that Ari's power, enhanced with his undying fury and rage, is capable of annihilating Kandrakar. The Guardians, with the help of Orube, free Yua. But Yua, bitter against Ari for the time that she spent as his prisoner, kidnaps Maqi, and undoes her her former master's wishes. Ari, seeing that he was wrong, pleads with the girls to help him to rescue Maqi. They manage to find Yua, but in the struggle Yua drops Maqi who falls a great distance and is badly wounded. The W.I.T.C.H. saved the child by transfering to him the Gift of Xin Jing, a powerful healing gift that not only heals Maqi but also cures his muteness. Ari, now full of thankfulness and happiness over his son's recovery, ceases being bitter toward the Oracle returns to being the King of Arkhanta, as the people feel he is a good ruler and support his reign. Ari reappears in the comic when the Guardians visit Arkhanta as ambassdors of Kandrakar. He and Maqi greet them in the reconstructed Scarlet Citadel (the original one was created with Yua's magic and was destroyed along with the other wishes). and invited the girls to participate in the popular games of his world. In the end he and his son congratulated the W.I.T.C.H. despite their poorly and catastrophical performance in the games. Category:Characters Category:Villains Category:Arkhanta Category:Male Characters Category:Fathers Category:Husbands Category:Parents Category:Adults Category:Former Villains Category:Kings